Request for Proposal Comprehensive Creative Services for Great Falls Montana Tourism August 16, 2019 I. Introduction II. Objective III. Scope of Work IV. Consultant Qualifications V. Proposal Requirements VI. Consultant Selection VII. Additional Information and Conditions VIII. Exhibits and Attachments I. INTRODUCTION Great Falls, Montana is the 3rd largest city in the Nation’s 4th largest state, by land mass, with 147,000 square miles. With 1 million residents in the State and just under 60,000 residents in the city, the open space appeals to residents and non-residents alike. Last year alone, 12 million people visited Montana, and 872,000 visited Great Falls. Great Falls is Montana’s Basecamp for Art and Adventure. Designed for independent, outdoor adventurers and planners of meetings, Great Falls provides a true, authentic Montana experience. Our community sits on the banks of the Missouri River in the center of the State. Great Falls is a basecamp to the Rocky, Big Belt, Highwood, and Little Belt Mountain Ranges; each providing public access for a variety of outdoor recreation. It is also a basecamp to the Sun and Smith Rivers; Belt Creek, and Holter Lake; it is 2.5 hours south of the East entrance to Glacier National Park, and 3.5 hours north of the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Great Falls’ access to a variety of outdoor adventures is complimented by a haven of rich arts, culture, and history in a vibrant, modern community where you can renew your spirit. Great Falls is Montana’s Museum Capital. Famed cowboy artist and humanitarian, Charlie Russell made Great Falls, Montana his basecamp and the museum that bears his name has the largest collection of Russell’s work, the complex has his studio and home, and The C.M. Russell Museum has been named Montana’s Museum worth driving for. The Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center has North America’s most extensive display of the Lewis & Clark expedition. First People’s Buffalo Jump is North America’s Largest and is a National Historic Landmark. The remaining museums in Great Falls celebrate our history, the life of Brother Van, modern artists, the railroad, the artwork of Sister Mary Trinitas Morin and Mother Raphael Schweda, the military missions at Malmstrom Air Force Base, and a hands-on Children’s Museum. Great Falls becomes the Western Art Capital of the World for one week in March, in celebration of Charlie Russell’s birthday. This signature event brings in over 750 artists at 15+ shows for a variety of auctions, direct purchase, quick finishes, demonstrations, lectures, music and more. Tourism is a critical driver of the Great Falls economy, accounting for 8% of the GDP. 87% of non-resident spending is done on dining, retail, fuel, lodging and grocery stores in a community driven by small business. Businesses that make up the Tourism Industry account for 3,080 jobs and over $72 million in payroll locally. Tourism Industry businesses account for over $33 million in property taxes. Great Falls’ tourism industry accounts for 9% of Montana’s total overall tourism impact, and the State, the City and the Region’s tourism economy is driven by outdoor recreation. Great Falls is home to Giant Springs State Park, and a basecamp to Tower Rock State Park, Sluice Boxes State Park and Smith River State Park. We have an airport that offers direct flights to Minneapolis MN, Denver CO, Seattle WA, Las Vegas NV, Mesa AZ, Salt Lake City UT, and seasonally, to Chicago IL. The dominant leisure traveler to Great Falls is 55-64 year old couple with an annual household income of $75,000 - $150,000, arriving by personal vehicle. 78% have been to Great Falls before and they enjoy history, day hiking, and scenic drives. The secondary traveler is 25-40, no kids, with the same interests. Great Falls Montana Tourism targets meeting planners with multi-day events for 300+ people in outdoor recreation, agriculture, arts, history, culture, or other areas of Great Falls’ competitive advantage. In 2017, Great Falls Montana Tourism secured a marketing firm that conducted research and engaged stakeholders to develop the marketing strategy “Montana’s Basecamp for Art & Adventure”. The creative for this was “Your basecamp for . .”. The creative, media placements with this creative and our website launched 7-1-2017 all under the direction of one marketing firm. The marketing firm eliminated media buying services from their offerings in mid 2018. Great Falls Montana Tourism secured a partner in January 2019 for paid media placement through a Strategic Media Planning, Media Buying, & Media Performance Reporting RFP and have utilized a variety of graphic designers to fulfil the creative needs of the organization since mid 2018. II. OBJECTIVE The objective is to hire a creative, brand focused firm/consultant with expertise and success in engaging target markets in a saturated message space with creative elements that resonates with the Great Falls, Montana brand. The creative developed will need to integrate through all marketing strategies, owned and paid, employed by Great Falls Montana Tourism. The work of the firm/consultant must position Great Falls, Montana as the premier destination for the experiences it offers and target audiences seek, that ultimately results in the target market staying overnight. III. SCOPE OF WORK Great Falls Montana Tourism requires a bold and innovative team that can lead a process to develop creative assets that communicate all the benefits of Great Falls, Montana that will be used in our paid media placement and through all of Great Falls Montana Tourism’s owned media assets as well. The open space and natural beauty of Montana continues to lure travelers to our rugged landscapes. Non-Resident visitation continues to grow in Montana overall; however, Great Falls Montana Tourism is challenged to get those independent adventurers to leave the National Park Regions to experience a true, authentic Montana experience on the Missouri River in the heart of MONTANA. Great Falls provides a BASECAMP for a wide range of outdoor adventures and offers a haven of rich arts, culture, and history in a vibrant, modern community where the expansive, unspoiled, diverse landscape renews one’s spirit. However, with 84% of Great Falls’ overnight guests traveling by car, visitors to Great Falls must drive for several hours to access Glacier National Park, and its popular western entrance is even farther away. By car, visitors from the west, south, southeast, and east must pass through several cities that most directly compete with Great Falls, including Missoula, Kalispell, Butte, Bozeman, and Billings. 3 Tenacious, determined, and focused on the future, Great Falls Montana Tourism is dedicated to growing tourism and demands a partner who is the same and can work collaboratively with research and stakeholders to devise a bold creative direction that stands out among the saturated destination marketing of our peer cities, national and international competition, all while conforming to specific brand standards. A. Creative Strategy Development a. Review historic research and stakeholder data b. Determine need for new research and implement if needed c. Engage stakeholders to obtain input to develop creative direction to align with Montana Basecamp for Art & Adventure Marketing Strategy B. Development of Creative Assets a. Website design, hosting, and maintenance in coordination with staff b. Graphic design of creative deliverable related to paid media strategy c. Photography, photo editing, and related services d. Videography, film editing, and related services e. Key message development and other copywriting services f. Exhibit and event materials design and development g. Marketing collateral design and development h. Email marketing design and related services i. Social media marketing services j. Online advertising services k. Other projects as developed l. Training and support IV. CONSULTANT QUALIFICATIONS The firm/consultant shall have the following skills, expertise, knowledge and qualifications: • Specific work experience with developing bold, innovative, creative strategies that stand out, with a small budget. • Proven ability to lead a research based and stakeholder inclusive process to design a creative strategy. • Specific work experience ensuring websites are maintained to meet regulations, stay relevant with industry changes, remains easily updateable, and leverages established tools. V. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS The funds for this project are provided through Lodging Facility Use Tax Revenue and Tourism Business Improvement District Assessments. The proposal must be submitted by 2:00 p.m. on September 26, 2019 to Great Falls Montana Tourism, Attention: Rebecca Engum, Executive Director, 100 1st Ave N, Lower Level Suite, Great Falls, MT 59401. Electronic submission is preferred in PDF format to [email protected]. The submittal will follow the order below and include, at a minimum the following information: 4 1. A cover letter signed and dated by the person or an authorized representative of the firm/consultant making the submittal that includes the firm/consultant legal name, address, website address, email address and telephone number. 2. A brief narrative of you/your firm’s history and experience and your/your firm’s understanding of the goals of this project and of the services requested in this RFP. 3. Descriptions of experience and qualifications of the staff to be assigned to project. 4. A case study narrative of how you/your firm assisted a business develop bold creative strategies that stood out in a saturated market. Provide samples of how the create strategy was implemented across a variety of mediums. 5. Provide previous client name, address, telephone number and the name of the contact most knowledgeable of performance for reference. 6. A narrative of the process you will use to accomplish the tasks proposed in the Scope of Work. 7. A sample budget proposal that details where Great Falls Montana Tourism funds could be spent separated by: • Creative Strategy Development • Website Hosting and Maintenance 8.